About the artist
Hello, my name is Monika Baskiewicz. I'm a Polish-born botanical artist based in New Jersey, creating vibrant contemporary paintings that celebrate the beauty of nature and its ability to restore, inspire, and reconnect us with ourselves.
My creative journey has come full circle. I began by studying painting, sculpture, and photography before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications and Graphic Design from Parsons School of Design in New York. After graduating, however, life took me in an unexpected direction. I spent the next decade immersed in film, acting, photography, and creative production, believing that was where I was meant to be.
Eventually, my path led me to an interior design company, where I rediscovered drawing and painting through textile and surface pattern design. What started as creating patterns for fabrics gradually became something much more meaningful—it led me back to painting and ultimately to becoming a full-time artist.
Looking back, I realize that nature was always leading me home. Whether I was working on film sets throughout New York City or traveling, I was constantly photographing flowers, tropical plants, and the changing landscape around me. I didn't fully understand it at the time, but I was always searching for the same feeling I experience today when I'm surrounded by nature: peace, presence, and a sense of coming home to myself.
My work is deeply influenced by my own journey of self-discovery. Growing up in a chaotic environment and later embracing the fast pace of New York City, I eventually discovered that what I truly longed for wasn't more excitement—it was balance. Nature became the place where I found it, and painting became the way I could share that experience with others.
Working primarily in oils, acrylics, and watercolor, I create botanical paintings inspired by my own photography, imagination, and my love of tropical landscapes, the Polish countryside, music, and cinema. Each piece develops over many hours as I build layers of vibrant color and intricate detail, celebrating the extraordinary beauty found in flowers and plants.
I believe art has the power to shape how a space feels. Through bold color and expressive botanicals, I hope my paintings bring warmth, joy, and a sense of calm into the homes they become part of. More than anything, I hope they invite people to slow down, reconnect with nature, and find moments of beauty in everyday life.
My work has been recognized with the Best Mixed Media Artist award at The Edgewater Art and Music Festival, and I'm honored to be exhibiting with the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour (JCAST) in November 2026.
Artist Statement
Although my creative journey has taken many paths—from studying fine art and graphic design to working in photography, film, and interior design—it has always led back to painting. Looking back, I realize that flowers and plants were never simply beautiful subjects to me. They represented something I had been searching for all along: stillness.
Growing up surrounded by uncertainty, I was instinctively drawn to nature's ability to restore balance. Later, after years immersed in the fast pace of New York City, I found myself craving the same sense of calm I had always discovered among flowers, leaves, and open landscapes. Painting became a way to slow down, reconnect with myself, and appreciate the beauty that often goes unnoticed.
Working primarily in oils, acrylics, and watercolor, I create botanical paintings inspired by my own photography and imagination. Each piece evolves over 20 to 50 hours as layers of vibrant color gradually reveal the movement, texture, and personality of each bloom. I embrace bold, joyful colors because I believe they have the power to transform not only a space but also the way we feel within it.
My paintings are invitations to pause.
In a world that constantly asks us to move faster, I hope my work encourages people to breathe more deeply, notice the details, and reconnect with the restorative power of nature. Whether displayed in a home, office, or collection, I want each painting to bring a sense of peace, optimism, and wonder—creating a place where the eye can rest and the mind can slow down.
If someone walks away feeling happier, calmer, and a little closer to nature, then my work has done exactly what I hoped it would.